Puscanturpa Norte, Pasta Religion, New Route. From May 24 to June 24, we (Lionel Daudet, François Lombard, Xavier Baudry) opened a rock climbing route on the northwest face of Puscanturpa Norte (5652m). This face is extremely steep, grooved with high geometrical columns, and blocked off by a huge overhanging zone. The face is 800 meters high from the base to the summit. The steep part is 350 meters high. Two previous expeditions, in 1975 and 1988, only brushed against the face and veered off toward the ridges. The question of the direct route was still asked.

We were ready to get on with the climb on May 28. We opened a wonderful route in delicate artificial climbing. The rock itself was gorgeous. We reached the summit on June 9 and thereafter we freed all the pitches. The route turned out to be very sustained around F7a+ (5.12a). It took us 16 days to open the route and we spent eight nights in portaledges. We only left 19 bolts in the whole route, mainly at belays (zero to three in the pitches). While freeing the route, we used small Friends and small nuts with shock absorbers on quickdraws. We had great meteorological conditions. Due to our very special diet (!), the route is called Pasta Religion.